The Office: Integrating Perspectives from Across Information Science

Jenna Hartel

Summary

This panel focuses on an information-rich yet under-examined space: the office. Offices are complex crossroads of information structures, information systems, and information seeking behaviors, all shaped by a particular socio-historical context. The panel brings together experts from diverse specialties who have conducted research into offices or similar settings. Our goals are threefold:

1.)To introduce “the office” as a useful concept for information research

2.)To examine the office from five different perspectives in the field of Information Science (IS), namely: history, metatheory, information seeking behavior, classification, and information systems.

3.)To promote cross-specialty conversations among panelists and the audience, leading to better research